Knockdown chair



(N0 Model.)

H. MAYERS. KNOGKDQWN CHAIR. No. 583,385. Patented May 25,1897.

'Eg/my Myer@ f Nrrsn STATES PATENT 'Ormea HENRY MAYERS, 0F UNION CITY, 'TENNESSEE KNOCKDOWN CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,385, dated May 25, 1897. Application tiled November 7, 1896. Serial No. 611,403. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY MAYERs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Union City, in the county of Obion and State of Tennessee,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the manufacture of cane, ratan, or split bottom chairs it has been customary to assemble the parts together into the complete article at the factory, but this is objectionable because shipping and transportation charges are high-priced in consequence of the bulky nature of the articles.

The object of the present improvement` is to provide a chair which may be shipped in a knockdown or folded condition, which maybe easily and quickly assembled together, and shall be simple, strong, and durable in construction as well as comparatively cheap of manufacture.

In the manufacture of my chair I make the seat-frame with a temporary rear stretcher or round, and on this frame is woven in any suitable way the bottom of cane, ratan, or splint, after which the temporary stretcher is removed in order that the chair, together with the front and rear legs and the rounds, may be compactly packed for transportation or storage, thereby reducing to a minimum the bulk of the shipment, enabling the shipper to secure low freight rates, and facilitating the handling of the merchandise.

In assembling the parts of the chair into a complete unitary structure the rounds are forced into proper sockets formed in the legs, and the seat-frame with the woven bottom, but minus the temporary rear stretcher, is properly adjusted to the chair-frame. I provide a permanent rear stretcher, cut to the proper length to it between the back legs and having a longitudinal groove or aperture and shouldered ends. The stretcher is fitted in the rear woven edge of the bottom, and its shouldered ends are tted in shouldered parts of the back legs or posts, after which a tie-rod is adjusted to the grooved or apertured stretcher, so that the headed end of said rod is countersunk flush with one of the back posts, while the threaded end of the rod is screwed into a nut countersunk in the other back post or leg. The permanent rear stretcher is arranged to conceal the tie-rod from View, because said rod lies in the groove or aperture in the stretcher, and said rod imparts strength and rigidity to the chair-frame to a greater degree than can be secured by the rear stretcher alone.

The invention further consists in the novel4 combination and construction of parts which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my invention, 1 haveillustrated one embodiment of the same in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in Which- Figure l is a perspective view of achair constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the plane indicated by the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. tional view on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4is a perspective view illustrating the use of a temporary stretcher in Weaving the chair-bottom. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the back posts to show the notches. Figs. 6 and 6 are detail views of two forms of the rear permanent stretcher.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which- A A designate the front legs; B B, the back posts, which form the rear legs and the support for the back; C, the seat-frame; E, the seatbottom, and F the rounds of the chair.

The front legs A A are provided With sockets or mortisesa, as usual, to receive the ends of the front and side rounds F, which are driven into said sockets or mortises.

The back posts B B have mortises or sockets b in their front sides to receive the side rounds and the side stretchers of the seatframe, and the inner-facing sides of said back posts are provided with shoulders h', cut for the ends of the rear permanent stretcher G to rest in and support said stretcher in proper position.

The seat-frame consists of the side stretchers c and the front stretcher c', which, to-

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sec-- IOO gether with the rear permanent stretcher G and the bottom H, completes the seat of the chair. In preparing the seat I first unite the side and front stretchers c c together and employ a temporary rear stretcher J, and these parts may be assembled with the front and back posts or with a suitable former or shaper, while the seat-bottom H is woven around the stretchers c c' J. This bottom may be of cane, j ratan, or splint, and it may be woven in any way to the desired pattern; but it is not attached to the rearV temporary stretcher J,

whereby said stretcher J may be withdrawn erture, channel, or groove b2 to receive the i rod K, which, when the stretcher is properly fitted to the back posts, lies on the inner side of or through the stretcher in order that it may not be visible. In this groove or aperture of the stretcher is fitted the tie-rod K,

having a head 7c at one end and a screw-` thread at its other end. Suitable holes ZZ are cut in the back posts B nearly in alinement with the shoulders b', and in the -hole Z of one back leg is fitted a nut L, which is held y The l fixed in place in any suitable manner. rod K is adjusted to occupy the groove or aperture on the inside of the permanent stretcher and to have its head k till the hole v Z in one back post to lie flush with the latter, and the threaded end of the rod is screwed into the fixed nut L, thus holding the rod rigidly in place and contributing to the stability and streng-th of the chair.

The back posts have the usual rear rounds and the cross-bars m, the latter forming the chair-back, and these parts are assembled and united together at the factory, so that the back posts may be packed in a small compass for shipment and storage. The seatframe and bottoms are packed together, and the front legs with the rounds are assembled and united, so that a number of said parts may be packed into small compass. In assembling the chair at the merchants or retailers store the rounds are driven into their sockets in the back legs, the seat-frame is adjusted so that the front and side stretch-ers occupy the sockets in the front legs and back posts, the permanent stretcher is adj usted to fit the rear edge of the bottom and occupy the shoulders on the back posts, and the tierod is passed through the hole Zand the channel or aperture b2 to enable its threaded end to be screwed into the nut L and its rheaded end fit in the holeZ of one of the back posts. The tie-rod is concealed from view, because it lies in the groove or aperture on the inside of the permanent stretcher, and said rod draws the back parts of the chair together.

It will be observed that the chairs may be made up at the factory in part and the parts packed to advantage to take up a minimum amount of space, thus enabling the manufacturer to secure low transportation charges and facilitating the handling of the merchandise. The parts can be easily and quickly assembled together to complete the chairs, and each chair is strong and durable in construction, especially at the back, where the rod draws together the various parts.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l; In a knockdown chair, the back posts provided on their facin g sides with the shoulders b' and with transverse openings in alinement with said shoulders, and a nut fixed in the opening in one of said posts, combined with a channeled, rear `stretcher tted in the shouldered parts of said back posts, -a tie-rod passing through said channeled stretcher and screwed into said nut to draw` the back posts tightly against the stretcher, and a seat-frame having its bottom connected tosaid stretcher, whereby said stretcher forms one element of the chair and is removable from the back posts and seat-bottom, as and for the purposes described.

2. In a knockdown chair, the back posts i united by the cross-slats and stretehers and provided, at points intermediate between Ian adjacent slat and stretcher, with means for receiving a removable, chairseat stretcher, and a chair-front having the front posts, stretchers 4and seat-frame all joined together and adapted to be connected with the back posts, combined with a seat-bottom united `to the side and front rails of the seat-frame,

and a removable rear vstretcher connected to said seat-bottom 4and provided with means for fastening the same to and between the back posts to bind the parts rigidly together, as and for the purposes described.

3. In a knockdown chair, the seat-frame comprising the front legs, the side and front stretchers, and the seat-bottom all united permanently together whereby said frame may be nested with other similar frames, and the back posts having the cross-rails and stretchers and provided with sockets to receive a rear stretcher and said side stretchers, combined with a rear stretcher which is adapted to lit in the rear edge of the seatbottom, and means for removably fastening `said rear stretch-er to the back posts, for the purposes described, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY MAYERS. YVitnesses:

A. J. HARPOLE, J. G. GREEN.

IOO 

